Microsoft killing off TechNet subscriptions

Time-limited trials will have to suffice.

Microsoft is set to end its TechNet subscription scheme. Started in 1998, TechNet subscriptions gave IT professionals perpetual licenses to Windows client and server operating systems. Though these licenses were technically only authorized for evaluation purposes, many used them as cheap Windows licenses for personal machines.

First reported by Ed Bott, Microsoft today e-mailed TechNet subscribers to inform them of the changes. Both new subscriptions and renewals will remain on sale until August 31, 2013, with activation of subscriptions supported until September 30, 2013. With most subscriptions lasting one year, TechNet subscriber downloads will cease to work on September 30, 2014.

For volume license customers, TechNet subscription benefits will be available for the duration of the volume license agreement.

In addition to illicit production use, there have been reports of TechNet license keys being sold without disclosing their evaluation nature, leaving their buyers unwittingly exposed in the case of a software audit.

To justify the change, Microsoft said that users wanting evaluation copies of its software had shifted to freely available time-limited trial copies. That caused a decline in usage of these paid evaluation licenses.

To justify the change, Microsoft said that users wanting evaluation copies of its software had shifted to freely available time-limited trial copies. That caused a decline in usage of these paid evaluation licenses. "We want more money!! GIMME!!"

Oh hell no they didn't???? My entire testlab at home is from TechNet sub. AD, Exchange, SQL, IIS. Installed just for me to learn those skills. I don't know how many disasters I've averted at work because I was able to say ah-ha saw that in testing I know what to do? Lots. Besides it makes me look like Mr. Wizard.

There's no way I'm reinstalling everything every 30-180 days. Especially my test AD and Exchange. Don't want to lose that and start from scratch. Trial versions would not work for me.

This negatively impacts the small but vocal MCT community. It took a very long time to get the subscription as a benefit and it was a huge plus to the program.

These subscriptions are used often to set up test labs and environments for long-term learning and evaluation (longer than 180 days), and pre-built Hyper-V VMs only get you so far with learning certain things.

To justify the change, Microsoft said that users wanting evaluation copies of its software had shifted to freely available time-limited trial copies. That caused a decline in usage of these paid evaluation licenses. "We want more money!! GIMME!!"

If people are using the time-limited evaluation copies that are free, that'd be less money, not more.

Yeah- I keep a test server up just so I can stay abreast of basic changes (I'm not a heavy user, but do need to know a few things) and so I can practice backing out of any changes I may need to make. This sucks. But it seems par for the course lately that software companies like to pull the things that people like and push ones that the users don't (see Adobe).

My email:

Quote:

As IT trends and business dynamics have evolved, so has Microsoft’s set of offerings for IT professionals who are looking to learn, evaluate and deploy Microsoft technologies and services. In recent years, we have seen a usage shift from paid to free evaluation experiences and resources. As a result, Microsoft has decided to retire the TechNet Subscriptions service and will discontinue sales on August 31, 2013.

Additional Information:More background on Microsoft’s decision to retire the TechNet Subscription service and the implications for current subscribers is available on the TechNet Subscriptions Retirement FAQ page.

Subscribers with active accounts may continue to access program benefits until their current subscription period concludes.

We are committed to helping customers through this transition phase and will remain focused on providing IT professionals with free access to a broad set of TechNet assets that support the needs of IT professionals around the world.

Improved Free Offerings for IT Professionals Include:

TechNet Evaluation Center: Free evaluation software with no feature limits, available for 30-180 days. Includes rich evaluation resources and TechNet Virtual Labs, which enable you to evaluate software without the need to install bits locally.Microsoft Virtual Academy: Free online learning site, with over 200 expert-led technical training courses across more than 15 Microsoft technologies with more added weekly.TechNet Forums: Free online forums where IT professionals can ask technical questions and receive rapid responses from members of the community.Please note, MSDN Subscriptions provide a paid set of offerings that are also available for those who require access to evaluation software beyond what the above free offerings provide.

Thank you for your understanding as we increase focus on growing and investing in our free offerings to better meet the needs of the IT professional community.

Oh hell no they didn't???? My entire testlab at home is from TechNet sub. AD, Exchange, SQL, IIS. Installed just for me to learn those skills. I don't know how many disasters I've averted at work because I was able to say ah-ha saw that in testing I know what to do? Lots. Besides it makes me look like Mr. Wizard.

There's no way I'm reinstalling everything every 30-180 days. Especially my test AD and Exchange. Don't want to lose that and start from scratch. Trial versions would not work for me.

Yeeeeep, this right here.

The Action Pack will be the Way Forward(tm) if one can qualify for it. Hopefully that doesn't soon meet the same fate.

I'm really upset by this. I use my Technet subscription to get my hands on new Microsoft software so that I can learn them better. I have an entire lab environment setup in my house allowing me to pick and choose what I want to learn without being tied down to whatever my employer wants to pay for me.

he software provided with TechNet Subscriptions is designed for hands-on IT Professionals to evaluate Microsoft software and plan deployments. The software provided with MSDN Subscriptions is available for evaluation, development, and testing purposes. Both programs provide priority support in forums, access to eLearning courses, and complimentary support incidents as part of the paid subscription and both MSDN and TechNet subscriptions are licensed per user. Subscription benefits and costs for each program vary by subscription level.

I think this will just make more people switch to torrents. No one is going to pay thousands of dollars for SQL Server, Windows Server etc. just to set up a virtualized lab environment at home...Or put up with having to re-install 15 virtual servers every 180 days...

Though these licenses were technically only authorized for evaluation purposes [...]

I've never had a TechNet subscription, but I did not know that.

Yep it is true. Eval only. You aren't as much as allowed to run a testlab... which of course all IT people with a TechNet sub did precisely that, me included. No money out of MS pocket though. No one sane would spend many thousands of dollars in licensing to run the MS server software on their $500 New Egg server at home. So without TechNet the choices are: keep reinstalling the trial versions, or not have a testlab, or pirate. Ironically, guess what will the most prevalent choice is going to be from now on? Yeeeeeeah.

MS played it pretty loose with TechNet activations and keys, so of course someone somewhere took advantage. (My Win 7 TechNet key could be activated 1500 times. What in the bloody fuck was THAT?! I've got 1499 more activations!) Why not tightly control relationship of which keys belong to which TechNet subscriber, and limit them to only a few activations. By doing just those two things they'd be able to identify pirates based on the leaked keys and kill their subscription, and they'd minimize losses by limiting the activations. They said they were doing that, but IME they weren't. So instead they are punishing everyone. Great.

TechNet and MSDN have been a big - but often uncredited - boon for uptake of Microsoft technologies over the years.

Both of them massively reduced the costs of development or testing solutions that were exclusively within Microsoft's ecosystem.You just don't get the same breadth of offering from Oracle or IBM, or anyone that is/was once a competitor.

The winner here will probably be Red Hat. Linux solutions will creep in where Microsoft ones would have been default due to TechNet, and when The Big Boss wants it properly supported you know exactly where the money is going.

So if I renew my current sub, good until March 2013 or so right now, it will die in September despite a March 2015 expiration date? I did everything but pay for the renewal in testing this out...

Don't forget these gems for current subscribers:

You may not use the software if you do not have an active subscription.You may install and use the software on your devices only to evaluate the software.You may not use the software in a live operating environment, in a staging environment, or with data that has not been backed up.

Though these licenses were technically only authorized for evaluation purposes [...]

I've never had a TechNet subscription, but I did not know that.

Yep it is true. Eval only. You aren't as much as allowed to run a testlab... which of course all IT people with a TechNet sub did precisely that, me included. No money out of MS pocket though. No one sane would spend many thousands of dollars in licensing to run the MS server software on their $500 New Egg server at home. So without TechNet the choices are: keep reinstalling the trial versions, or not have a testlab, or pirate. Ironically, guess what will the most prevalent choice is going to be from now on? Yeeeeeeah.

MS played it pretty loose with TechNet activations and keys, so of course someone somewhere took advantage. (My Win 7 TechNet key could be activated 1500 times. What in the bloody fuck was THAT?! I've got 1499 more activations!) Why not tightly control relationship of which keys belong to which TechNet subscriber, and limit them to only a few activations. By doing just those two things they'd be able to identify pirates based on the leaked keys and kill their subscription, and they'd minimize losses by limiting the activations. They said they were doing that, but IME they weren't. So instead they are punishing everyone. Great.

I think a better option would be to limit TechNet subscriptions to MS Certified professionals - those are likely the ones getting the most out of the subscription, as they are likely the ones to be setting up lab environments at home to avert disasters like Dilbert described above.

Or setup some kind of solution through a Microsoft Account. They've been slowly adding the account usage in Visual studio. For VS2013 basically it came with a 14 day trial, unless I logged in, then it was extended to 200+ days.